The first movie to open with over $100 million in its opening weekend was Spider-Man (2002), which earned approximately $114 million in North America, setting a new record and kicking off the era of massive superhero blockbusters and high-grossing opening weekends, though it took several years for the $100 million opening to become common, as noted by Reddit.
The 1990s saw two thresholds crossed: 1994's True Lies cost $100 million and 1997's Titanic cost $200 million, both directed by James Cameron.
'Jaws' was the first film to gross more than $100 million at the box office. Its success continues to drive film release plans and expectations.
The first actor to earn a guaranteed $1 million for a single film was Elizabeth Taylor for Cleopatra (1963), though she earned much more with profit-sharing; however, Mary Pickford signed the first million-dollar contract in 1916 (over several films), and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was the first with a $1 million annual guarantee in 1919. Marlon Brando also broke the $1 million barrier for a single movie with Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) before Taylor.
The 4 films with the biggest box office openings of all time: 1) 'Avengers: Endgame': $1.2 billion. 2) 'Avengers: Infinity War': $640 million. 3) 'Spider-Man: No Way Home': $610 million. 4) 'Zootopia: The Second Part': $553 million.
The #1 movie in the world, based on the highest worldwide box office gross, is James Cameron's Avatar (2009), followed by Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). These rankings focus on total money earned, with Avatar exceeding $2.9 billion globally.
The #1 richest actor is often cited as Arnold Schwarzenegger, with an estimated net worth around $1.49 billion, followed closely by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, while some lists place Tyler Perry at the top due to his studio ownership, but Schwarzenegger consistently leads actor-focused lists with vast wealth from acting, business, and politics.
The youngest person ever to accumulate a million dollars was the American child film actor Jackie Coogan (1914-84) born in Los Angeles, California, USA. In 1923-24 he was earning $22,000 (£11,936) per week and retained approximately 60% of his films' profits. At the age of 13, he was a millionaire in his own right.
Jim Carrey first earned a $20 million salary for the 1996 dark comedy The Cable Guy, making him the first actor to command that much upfront, though he also earned $20 million for How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Batman Forever, Liar Liar, Me, Myself & Irene, and Yes Man.
While several films compete for the title, John Carter (2012) is often cited as the biggest flop due to massive losses (around $200-225 million after accounting for a $350m budget) and its impact, leading to studio head resignations, with The Lone Ranger (2013) also a contender for huge inflation-adjusted losses, and historically, Heaven's Gate (1980) is infamous for destroying a studio and changing the industry. Other major contenders include The Marvels, Mortal Engines, and Cutthroat Island, depending on whether you consider raw dollar loss or percentage loss, notes Screen Rant and DirecTV Insider.
The movie that took 48 years to make is The Other Side of the Wind, Orson Welles' final, unfinished film that began shooting in the 1970s and was finally completed and released by Netflix in 2018, long after Welles' death. The project was famously trapped in legal issues and distribution nightmares, with production spanning years and the editing process continuing posthumously until its eventual release, making it one of the longest-produced films ever.
18+ movies to watch
'Jaws' was the first film to gross more than $100 million at the box office. Its success continues to drive film release plans and expectations.
Another definition is that a “Hollywood” movie is “a movie produced by an American film studio by definition is a Hollywood film,” because in the early days it meant that the films were literally made in the suburb of Hollywood, so, some use the term Hollywood as shorthand for the entire US film industry.
The largest purpose-built film set was the village of Hobbiton and its surroundings, which were crafted originally for the Lord of the Rings film series (NZ/USA, 2001–03), and later expanded and updated for the Hobbit trilogy (NZ/USA, 2012–14).
5 Richest Kids in the World
MrBeast: $2.6 billion (£1.9bn)
Jimmy Donaldson aka MrBeast is the richest Gen Z star by a huge margin. YouTube's most-subscribed creator, the 27-year-old has drawn 457 million followers thanks to his high-stakes challenges, stunts, and headline-grabbing giveaways.
Yes, Kim Kardashian is generally considered richer than Taylor Swift, though both are billionaires, with Kardashian often leading due to her successful businesses like SKIMS, while Swift's wealth comes from music, tours (like The Eras Tour), and films. Recent reports (late 2025) place Kardashian's net worth around $1.9 billion, slightly ahead of Swift's $1.6 billion, though these figures fluctuate.
Highest annual earnings
Dwayne Johnson was the highest-paid actor in 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024. Sylvester Stallone was the highest-paid actor in 1987, 1988, 1990, and 1995. Julia Roberts was the highest-paid actress in 1998, 1999, and 2000.
Tom Cruise is significantly richer than Brad Pitt, with estimated net worths in 2025 placing Cruise around $891 million compared to Pitt's figures closer to the $500-$700 million range, though estimates vary. Cruise consistently ranks as one of Hollywood's wealthiest actors, leveraging blockbuster success and high earnings from films like Top Gun: Maverick, making him the wealthier of the two.
While several films compete for the title, John Carter (2012) is often cited as the biggest flop due to massive losses (around $200-225 million after accounting for a $350m budget) and its impact, leading to studio head resignations, with The Lone Ranger (2013) also a contender for huge inflation-adjusted losses, and historically, Heaven's Gate (1980) is infamous for destroying a studio and changing the industry. Other major contenders include The Marvels, Mortal Engines, and Cutthroat Island, depending on whether you consider raw dollar loss or percentage loss, notes Screen Rant and DirecTV Insider.
The Most Watched Movies of all time according to IMDB. Like this list
As of 2025, the 37 films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe form the highest-grossing film series even when adjusted for inflation, surpassing J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World (11 films), Star Wars (12 films), Ian Fleming's James Bond (27 films), and J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth (8 films) series.